War and Public Health: A 20-Year Perspective

Since 1991, there have been significant developments pertaining to armed conflict and the roles of public health workers in addressing the health and human rights issues related to armed conflict. This session will address the following six issues and their evolution during this 20-year period: the impact of non-state actors in an asymmetric world after the end of the Cold War; the increases in the arms trade and military expenditures; the U.S. "war on terror" response to the 2001 terrorist attacks; the increasing likelihood of resource wars over water and petroleum; the continuing impact of armed conflict on non-combatant civilians; and the evolution of new threats, from the use of unarmed drones in conflict to the prospect of cyber attacks.